New York Islanders Win Doesn't Mean Team Is Headed in the Right Direction

The New York Islanders won for the second time in 22 games Thursday, but besides a 99 second span in which they scored three goals, they were outplayed yet again.

While many argue that the puck finally bounced in the right direction for the Islanders, that is not a strategy that will win games in the future.

For the first period the Islanders played great, going up 3-0 and knocking the Anaheim Ducks starting goaltender out of the game.

The Islanders then almost succeeded in giving away another game that they had well in their control. Earlier in the week the Islanders were up 2-0 early on the Atlanta Thrashers before losing that one and this game looked to be headed in the same direction.

I was fairly certain while watching the game that, up until they cleared it with five seconds left, the Ducks were going to score, take the game into overtime and win.

If the Islanders want to keep winning, they need to duplicate that first period for all three periods. Obviously it's nearly impossible to score nine goals in an NHL game night in and night out, but I am referring more to the effort and fast skating put forward by the team. The Isles got complacent in the last two periods and almost payed for it.

For a team that has nothing to lose but draft position, why not use an attacking style all game? Not only could it bring them wins, but also fans to their games. The main reason people fill the Verizon Center to watch the Washington Capitals play. They score goals.